1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to vehicle article carriers such as luggage racks and, more particularly, to a vehicle article carrier having crossbars operable in a first or stowed mode oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and in a second or article carrying mode oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
2. Discussion
Modern automotive vehicles are commonly equipped with article carriers such as luggage racks for supporting various articles externally of the vehicle. Most vehicle article carriers include a pair of siderails laterally spaced apart on the vehicle roof (or trunk) and aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Most vehicle article carriers also include two or more crossbars laterally spanning the space between the siderails. The crossbars work in conjunction with the siderails to provide anchor points for securing articles to the carrier.
While such vehicle article carriers perform excellently in terms of article support and the like, there is still room for improvement. For example, vehicle article carrier crossbars contribute to wind noise audible to vehicle occupants. Inasmuch as wind noise is generally considered undesirable, minimizing wind noise caused by vehicle article carrier crossbars is an important goal.
One attempt to reduce wind noise caused by vehicle article carrier crossbars has been to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the crossbars. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that wind noise can be further improved through continued efforts in this regard. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a vehicle article carrier having an improved crossbar configuration which minimizes wind noise audible within the vehicle occupant compartment.
The above and other objects are provided by a vehicle article carrier including a pair of laterally spaced apart siderails. A pair of crossbars are coupled to the siderails. Each crossbar is operable in a first or stowed mode axially aligned with a siderail and in a second or carrying mode laterally spanning the space between the side rails. In a first embodiment, an orientation assembly interengaging the siderails and crossbars ensures that the crossbars are only oriented in one of the first and second modes. That is, the crossbars are not pivotable through orientations between the spanning position and the stowed position. In a second embodiment, the crossbars are pivotable throughout the range of motion between the spanning position and the stowed position. A separate mechanism is also provided to enable the crossbars to be longitudinally repositioned along the siderail. In a third embodiment, the crossbars include a pivoting latch for securing the crossbar to the siderail. This eliminates a rotatable knob provided in the other embodiments. A translatable shroud helps facilitate the transition between the spanning and stowed modes. In a fourth embodiment, an alternate latch is employed and the crossbar is both horizontally pivotable and vertically rotatable relative to the siderails.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.